Breaking: Hallé has a new chief conductor
NewsThe Hallé Orchestra in Manchester has chosen the Singaporean Kahchun Wong as its next Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, starting September 2024. He succeeds Sir Mark Elder who, after 24 years, becomes Conductor Emeritus.
Kahchun, 36, winner of the 2016 Mahler conducting competition, lost his job after one term as music director in Nuremburg.
He switched agency last year to HarrisonParrott. The Hallé’s decision was made, apparently, after a single Shostakovich concert.
You’ve got to be kidding.
I’ll never not share this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqhQSozZbw8
Never heard of the man until this Slippedisc item, but I watched the video and found his conducting technique to be freshingly different and interesting to watch.
I’d say he has spent too long watching (NOT listening to) Bychkov, Termirkanov, and Sokhiev (to name a few of the better conductors he is copying). The orchestra seem to hardly notice him and there are ensemble issues that are a result of his theatrics and playing to the gallery (hand on the rail of the podium – SO lazy). It will be interesting to hear him with the Halle.
You might not think the orchestra musicians notice him, but just listen to all those dynamic touches – for instance, that hairpin decrescendo/crescendo at 2:45. That’s not in the original Tchaikovsky manuscript or the published Jurgensen score. Ninety percent of what happens onstage is prepared in rehearsal, and that orchestra knew what was coming.
As composer William Bergsma once said to a conductor who had dressed up a piece of his with added dynamic and expression marks: “Don’t do me any favors.”
Hand on the rail of the podium? So Kleiber!!! In your dreams, buddy.
And, I think, Andris Nelsons.
Carlos Kleiber often conducted Fledermaus or Rosenkavalier with his one arm briefly up on the railing behind the podium in the Munich Nationaltheater. Especially during the waltzes. Lazy?
Not that this chap is a Kleiber. At best he’s a cartoon character from a 1940s cartoon.
“Carlos Kleiber often conducted Fledermaus or Rosenkavalier with his one arm briefly up on the railing behind the podium in the Munich Nationaltheater.”
There’s no railing in an opera pit, there is a wall.
I know he’s been a student of Yuri Simonov and to me it looks a lot like him:
https://youtu.be/fE9yZAY-Z6o?t=473
(the same part of Tchaik 5, just starting a few bars earlier)
Enjoy!
That is equally embarrassing.
‘hand on the rail of the podium’– so Carlos Kleiber!
Clearly not a pupil of Fritz Reiner (too young alas). The tempo for the “big tune” beginning around 1:30 made me realize more than I usually do that Tchaikovsky’s theme really fits so well the lyrics attributed to several players (nameless) in a couple of London orchestras (nameless) “Where is the key to the sh*thouse……………”
In the tradition of Gennady Rozhdestvensky! And, unlike what you might think, it works!
Performance sounds good.
Visually, not my cup of tea – but difficult to argue with the results.
Nothing ‘nazi’ about that bog standard army salute.
That was certainly embarrassing …
I don’t know what to make of this; a mixture of Leonard Bernstein and god know who else. But the musicians are doing all the work and he’s getting all the focus!!
I’m hoping that salute wasn’t to Russia!!
As a German, I take allegations like these quite seriously. Fortunately, in this case there is absolutely no truth to it.
As Riccardo Muti said last week, “We are all lost”
Thanks for reminding us. I was stunned when I first saw this clip. Asia meets Disney meets the wind-up Tin Soldier!
Hallé musicians were ignored. The profession is now run by Suits, and worse it is becoming, here in the UK. We wonder how many SD commentators are professional musicians, that is, paying ones bills on the strength of your musicianship? We fear not many, reading these and other comments on this site. But it’s a free world, in theory, to speak out…
I think he was in Nuremberg for 4 years, no? 2018-2022. And he is the new chief conductor of Japan Philharmonic. He is a great artist, they are lucky to have him!
In Nuremberg 2018-22….
Chief Conductor Japan Phil, Principal guest in Dresden Phil and now Hallé – speaks for itself really. Not many conductors hold three positions at once!
Yannick……
Kind of Lenny-like on the podium
Glory be! It will be a breath of fresh air. Sir Mark is Elder by name and increasingly by nature. We are proud of everything he did to get our beloved Orchestra back on their feet but among Hallé Society Members there’s a feeling that he should have gone 5-10 years ago when he was still at the top of his game. Hopefully he won’t feel the need to return that often.
What an appalling insult to a great man: I was (unlike the orchestra) a massive fan of James Loughran but Sir Mark has helped the orchestra to world-class status and his Elgar, Wagner & the Gurrelieder concerts were world-class events. I regularly make a round trip of 500 miles for his concerts and his lockdown projects: SOLDIER’S TALE, Butterworth with Roddie W &
his Schrecker in Glasgow were so needed. I hope he will return as much as possible when Bergen allows. And I hope I have his energy and wisdom when I reach 76.
Age is no barrier when conducting.
Think Haitink,Wand,Blomstedt!!!
It’s always fun spotting the unjustified assumptions in these posts. Since 1968 Nuremberg has had 10 chief conductors. Only three lasted longer than Kahchun. It strikes me as an odd way to run an orchestra, but his brief tenure wasn’t out of the ordinary.
Congratulations and good luck to Mr Wong on his appointment with the Halle Orchestra. On listening and watching the above YouTube video, I sense more than a touch of Yuri Simonov in his conducting technique…
I was at the Shostakovich concert and it was… something to say the least. He’s one of those conductors that looks absolutely ridiculous and is at times distracting, but I can’t deny that he made the Hallé sound better than they normally do. On top of that he conducted without the score and yet seemed to know it better than a lot of conductors do with the score.
I look forward to someone young and with fresh interpretations following a more “safe” veteran like Elder. Perhaps the programming choices might also get more interesting in the years to come? It has been quite stale of late.
We will have to wait and see if this was the right decision; I don’t want to pass too much judgement ahead of time.
A conductor shouldn’t touch a piece unless they can conduct it without a score; and then they shouldn’t conduct it without a score. (Not all, but most.)
We in Singapore are very proud of him, putting our little nation-state on the musical world map.
Singapore always punches about its weight on most metrics. Looking forward to visiting that country.
As the great Pan Hon Lee did with the same orchestra in the days when I first started rocking up at their concerts…
Mmmmmm…… interesting! Big Elder fan and he certainly no Elder. I just thought the orchestra and the texture sounded thin. Might be the recording of course. But if I did that with my choir and orchestra there’d be a walk out!!!! Good luck to him
Though. J x
I was at that Shostakovitch 5 concert and it was electrifying . The Halle have made a great choice .
Several players are very worried that Kahchun being appointed will take us back to the bad old days of Kent Nagano. Management have pushed him hard and a lot of colleagues seem to think he’s ok but we hardly know him and it feels like a big risk especially with ticket sales and sponsorship so bad too.
If things are so bad, you need to take a risk!
If you’re going to speak in behalf of the Hallé players, maybe you should sign it instead of writing anonymously. I smell a troll here. Signed, David Petri, Hallé cellist
it’s a plum job. The Bridgewater Hall is fantastic. It will be interesting to see whether the excellent Halle Chorus will be given as many choral masterpieces to sing as under Mark Elder.
He has done a great job in Seattle on two separate engagements and will be back again next season.
This is a Management stichup it could lead to artistic devastation. Our new Manager has been panicking what with Mark going in a year and we hadnt chosen anyone and the Arts Council have been pushing for a diverse conductor or we’ll go the way of EnO. Also I hear the board are worried that Marketing haven’t been selling sufficient tickets. They rushed this through without the Players say so. Im glad I’m not long to retire but I do feel bad for younger Players. Our new Manager also destroyed the Britten Sinfonia down south so there’s a lot of us angry.
This is a fake! Troll alert! I very much doubt that you’ve ever been employed by the Hallé, let alone that you’re “not long to retire”. Amazing how some people spend their time trying to be something they’re clearly not! Signed David Petri, player in the Hallé
Played under him…I think is a great stick,very much a la maniere de “Noddy”…..Musically……..i found him quite superficial and showy.
You must be Sarah Willis. Otherwise I do not understand how you “did play” with all these conductors mentioned on this website
He should have a career ahead in Us then…
This will not end well. Sad for my colleagues in the Hallé.
I played a Rachmaninoff 2nd Symphony with Mr Wong 4-5 years ago. We got many of the choreographed hysterics you see in the YouTube video above. I came away with the impression that he didn’t listen to a note we played, and had spent too much time in practicing in front of the mirror. These types of conductors can wow an audience once, but wear thin with a real orchestra awfully soon when actually trying to rehearse.
Totally agree with you. Have seen him conduct in a two concerts.
That was more than enough!
He seems to have watched too many Lenny and CK videos and practised in front of a mirror!
I am a player in the Halle, I doubt the ‘angry player’ actually is. For all I know it could be Norman Lebrecht himself having a bit of fun, creating some controversy, to build up traffic.
All I can say is that the general feel in the orchestra has been by far one of excitement and optimism, towards the appointment, and the future. I am not of aware of any ‘angry players’, and it certainly does not represent the great majority of us.
At the end of the day all that matters is the quality of our concerts, and the music we make. If anybody has any doubts, feel free to come to our concerts and judge for yourself. There is a concert on Saturday, with our next principal conductor conducting. Everybody is welcome.
Thank you for this; my first Halle concert was 1973 (Lady Barbirolli played VW). Can’t come Saturday (Child of our Time in Liverpool) but will hear your Rite of Spring on Sunday. Great news re Tom Ades; his concerts next season look fabulous: I love the triple concerto of Tippett and doing the Purcell/JB is a ‘glorious’ tribute. The Apostles/Kingdom were deeply moving and the very highest level of quality from all. I heard the Apostles under Maurice Handford with Richard Lewis in abot 1974. As said above it is a 500-mile round trip with hotels to pay for but we love to come 5 or 6 times a year to hear the Halle and your BBCPO colleagues.
Sofia Gubaidulina The Wrath of God UK Premiere
Britten Serenade for tenor, horn and strings
Shostakovich Symphony No.5
Harrison P appointments are a very enticing ‘package deal’ for many orchestra managements. They’re not just hiring a principal – they’re also making a relationship with an agency that will promise to deliver (and occasionally push) other artists from their roster in return for the appointment. A star orchestra can make a conductor a star, and so it goes vice versa – by pure PR antics. You only need to look at other orchestras with HP principals and then the guests and soloists that come in to see the trend. It’s not just about the musicianship of the person they appoint – for management its also about getting bargaining power within the industry. And for agencies – about getting lots of fingers in lots of pies.
He’s good!
I’ve played under him and he’s fantastic. Extremely clear and brings a ton of energy with fresh ideas. A lot of you don’t know what you’re talking about and judging him on a single video 4:00 video from 4 years ago lol… simply unreal. Congrats to them for taking a risk and landing someone legit.
Sir Adrian Boult’s conducting style is the one he imparted to many of his pupils, not all of whom adopted it. Among the closest was Vernon Handley who at the end of Boult’s career rehearsed the orchestra at Sir Adrian’s direction. Anyhow, among his advice to aspiring conductors was to act on the podium as if you were playing to the blind person in the audience. In other words, there was no need to put on a show. I followed this advice when sitting in the audience and felt distracted by the antics of the conductor. I shut my eyes and focused on the music. Try it sometimes, beginning with the video shown here. You may have a different feeling about the conductor’s abilities.
Strange world, do rules of love at first sight apply to choose a conductor? It seemed to me that building and running an orchestra is like a gardener job, everyday bad seeds, have to rearrange things…in the long time. Not sure he’s the right person. Some people here underline the orchestra is not doing so well. So a risk is welcome.
Manchester has been extremely lucky that Sir Mark has been so committed to the orchestra and the city for nearly 25 years. He has delivered some extremely special performances during that time in Elgar, Mahler and Wagner to name but three of the composers he’s championed. His Elgar oratorios a couple of weeks ago showed that he remains at the height of his powers.
Sir Mark’s are inevitably big shoes to fill and I’m not at all sure this appointment is the right one. But Kahchun deserves to be given a chance. We will see what he delivers.